During his 30 years, Jeff Scott Buckley lived many lives: suburban loner, music school misfit, and rock and roll gypsy. His real life was only revealed after his tragic death, 10 years ago in the Mississippi river, hours before he was due to start rehearsals for the follow up album to "Grace". Jeff Buckley's friends, peers, enemies, lovers, collaborators and others all speak of the Jeff Buckley they knew, or in some cases, they thought they knew. The contents of his many personal letters are revealed for the first time. His struggle with writers block is explored as is his ongoing battles with the concept of stardom, his desire for escape and the attempts to deal with the unavoidable legacy of his equally gifted father, Tim Buckley. Even after his death 10 years ago, he is still influential - Radiohead and Coldplay readily confess to his influence on their craft and Bono once said 'Jeff Buckley was a pure drop in an ocean of noise.'
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About the Author
The former Music Editor of Australian Rolling Stone, Jeff Apter is the author of the critically and commercially successful books, Fornication: The Red Hot Chili Peppers Story, Never Enough: THe Story of The Cure, A New Tomorrow, The Silverchair Story, amongst others. He lives in Sydney with his wife, two children and a heft music collection.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By sonny
Format:Hardcover
First and foremost, this is a very well written book. You can have all the information in the world at your fingertips, but if you can't write, it's all for naught. Apter is a terrific writer. Obviously there is a fairly high ratio of cross-over details with David Browne's 'Dream Brother', but that's to be expected I suppose; Browne was there first, even met Buckley briefly, and his- also brilliant- book must be a starting point for any new authors thinking of adding to the canon of Buckley-lit.
And this tome is a worthy addition. One of the shortcomings of 'Dream Brother', in my opinion, was that pivotal events or issues were often mentioned without any extra exposition. Apter tends to go into each new occurence thoroughly, using reams of interviews to build a marvellous picture of Buckley's slow ascent from 'trailer-trash kid' to musical icon. In 'Pure Drop', the reader is also allowed a much clearer idea of what kind of person Buckley was, how people reacted to him, and why he made the decisions he did in his career and personal life.
My only criticism, and this is just me being picky, is that the title (taken from a slightly trite quote from Bono) does not do the book or its subject justice. That said, this is definitely worth owning if you are a Buckley fan, along with 'Dream Brother' and 'Wished For Song'.
In fact, it's difficult to see what the forthcoming 'Mystery White Boy Blues' is going to add...
And this tome is a worthy addition. One of the shortcomings of 'Dream Brother', in my opinion, was that pivotal events or issues were often mentioned without any extra exposition. Apter tends to go into each new occurence thoroughly, using reams of interviews to build a marvellous picture of Buckley's slow ascent from 'trailer-trash kid' to musical icon. In 'Pure Drop', the reader is also allowed a much clearer idea of what kind of person Buckley was, how people reacted to him, and why he made the decisions he did in his career and personal life.
My only criticism, and this is just me being picky, is that the title (taken from a slightly trite quote from Bono) does not do the book or its subject justice. That said, this is definitely worth owning if you are a Buckley fan, along with 'Dream Brother' and 'Wished For Song'.
In fact, it's difficult to see what the forthcoming 'Mystery White Boy Blues' is going to add...
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A Pure Drop is a clear-eyed exploration of a complex character. Apter treads gently as he reveals Jeff Buckley to be more than just high voice, the curly hair and killer looks. Buckley's relationship with his mother and father and the impact that has on his art, his interaction with fellow musicians and the lovers in his life are carefully and considerately examined. What appeals most about the book is that the respect Apter clearly feels for his subject never outweighs the impartiality with which the facts and conversations are presented. A great read which should appeal to absolute fans of Jeff Buckley's music and also those who simply enjoy a well written biography of an interesting and too short life.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a solid Jeff Buckley fan, this new biography was a must-have for me and I finished reading it in no time. I really enjoyed Jeff Apter's work a lot. He concentrates on Jeff Buckley's lifepath while giving us sufficient information on his surroundings and the time frame to make the picture complete. Also, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Jeff Apter gave a couple of new faces in Jeff-Buckley-bio-land a voice, like The Frames' frontman Glen Hansard who has some great things to share about his late friend. In many ways, this biography is complementary to David Browne's "Dream Brother", which I liked a lot too. Only, half of Browne's book tells the story of Tim Buckley. I was glad to read his story too, but sometimes it even got a bit boring since the links with his son Jeff Buckley are rare, but those are the facts.
"A pure drop" seems to me as a result of thorough research and comes from an author who is obviously used to writing about music. I think he does Jeff Buckley's story nothing but honour, as did David Browne. Yet I feel that this new biography goes further in the details and has more stories told by many persons who were close to Jeff. There's also a 10 page long 'coda' that shines a light on all the posthumous releases that Jeff Buckley's music got to see since 1997, combined with good arguments on the critique that certain persons have towards these releases.
I would strongly recommend this book to any Jeff Buckley fan. It offers fantastic stories and a huge amount of facts on the life of this unbelievable artist, as well as on the ever interesting and lived-through and warm though often complicated person that he was.
"A pure drop" seems to me as a result of thorough research and comes from an author who is obviously used to writing about music. I think he does Jeff Buckley's story nothing but honour, as did David Browne. Yet I feel that this new biography goes further in the details and has more stories told by many persons who were close to Jeff. There's also a 10 page long 'coda' that shines a light on all the posthumous releases that Jeff Buckley's music got to see since 1997, combined with good arguments on the critique that certain persons have towards these releases.
I would strongly recommend this book to any Jeff Buckley fan. It offers fantastic stories and a huge amount of facts on the life of this unbelievable artist, as well as on the ever interesting and lived-through and warm though often complicated person that he was.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By J Carty
Format:Hardcover
Another reviewer said David brown had already written it all before but that isn't true ...apter clearly points out which facts are also in browns book and I must say they are gracious nods indeed as you can clearly tell apter is a fan of his work .To cut a long story /review short this book expands on Jeff's life and is written in a way that I would have liked dream brother to have been written ...5 stars from me.
- J.c
- J.c
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Music Fan
Format:Hardcover
I bought this book because with in reason, I will buy anything that can throw more light on the life that was Jeff Buckley. I personally do not feel that this book achieved this. David Brownes biography (written some years ago now) covered all of the detail Buckley fans need. Okay, a few more of Jeffs friends and girlfriends opened up for this author than for David Browne but I would put this down to the passage of time which could make it easier for them to disclose their thoughts on the musician and singer. I actually preferred Brownes biography as his style is somehow "looser" and more "readable" if that makes any sense which in turn leads to a more enjoyable reading experience. If however, you havent already read the aforementioned you will find this an informative book filled with enough detail to satisfy. Its a choice thing really....no doubt others will prefer this to Brownes offering.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A Pure Drop: The Life of Jeff Buckley is engaging and enlightening, even if you do not know the musical contributions of Jeff Buckley. For those who are very aware of the gift and many talents that Jeff left behind, you will obtain "feelings and emotions" as shared by those who knew him, worked along side him and lived life with him.
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